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Schedule
10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Show Floor Open
@ Midtown Room
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10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m
Ms. Meeple's Many Games with Brooke Burgh
@ Home Park
Ms. Meeple takes inspritation from traditional gaming and improv in this unique performance that shows off original games that incorporate you, the viewer, as a core mechanism.
11:00 a.m - 12:00 p.m.
2025 Indie Dev Reality Check with Kartik Kini
@ Centennial
Kartik Kini has been slowly building his indie studio for almost 10 years now, and in this talk he goes over the good, the bad, and the ugly of being an indie developer in 2025. This is a general talk aimed at people of all skill levels interested in pursuing indie game development as a career.
12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Digital Tabletop Hybrids: Gaming that's the Best of Both Worlds with Ryan Whisenhunt
@ Home Park
Tabletop and digital games each offer something unique to the field of game design. This panel dives into what makes them different, what connects them, and what is possible when you bring these two worlds together. Featuring ARD Games' "Wildling Rumble" as a case study in digital hybrid games.
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
How to Keep Loving Games While Creating Their Audio with Scruffy
@ Centennial
Scruffy offers inspiration and a few practices, with examples and stories from experience, to help keep a burgeoning career in video game music and sound design fun, fresh, and fulfilling.
1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
The Hybrid Role of Technical Design with Brandon Moss
@ Home Park
When I started college, I quickly realized I wasn’t the coding wizard some of my classmates were—nor was I ready to leave and pursue an art degree for game design. Instead, I discovered my strengths lived somewhere in between: combining a knack for problem-solving/understanding of technical limitations with a designer’s eye for player experience and the "fun factor". I pursued a code-focused degree anyway, and years later found myself in a role I didn’t even know existed—Technical Designer on Call of Duty. In this session, I’ll break down what a Technical Designer actually does, how the role varies from studio to studio, and the skills you can develop to move toward this career path. Even if Technical Design isn’t your goal, you’ll walk away with a deeper understanding of how it strengthens collaboration across teams, improves development pipelines, and ultimately makes for better games—for developers, managers, and players alike.
2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Bridging the Gap: Identifying Barriers to Gameplay with Jade Spooner
@ Centennial
Gameplay programmers must bridge the gap between design and actual gameplay, but the hardest question is: "How big is the gap?". An overview of gameplay programming and what is required to get gameplay playable.
2:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Telling Stories, Shaping Feelings: The Art of Sound Design with Eric Hurd-Lorenz
@ Home Park
Sound design is more than technical polish, it’s a powerful narrative tool. This talk explores how audio can shape mood, guide emotional journeys, and deepen player engagement. Examining how to approach sound design holistically. Attendees will leave with practical insights for going beyond the literal, using sound to uncover deeper layers of story and emotional resonance.
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
The Road To 100k Copies: My Indie Game Journey with SomeHumbleOnion
@ Centennial
In this talk, I'll go over my journey of developing and releasing my first commercial indie game, Smushi Come Home. From landing a publisher deal to releasing on the Nintendo Switch, this presentation will encompass all that I did and learned throughout the 2 years I spent working on my game!
3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Resume Review
@ Networking Lounge
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4:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Designing Games from the Inside Out: Mental Health, Personal Storytelling & Creative Safety with Molly Hurd-Lorenz
@ Home Park
In this workshop, we’ll explore how to design from the inside out, turning emotion, curiosity, and lived experience into meaningful gameplay. You’ll learn how to work with your own narratives while caring for your mental well-being throughout the creative process. Whether you're processing your own story, building a world that feels like home, or simply curious about blending creativity and care, this session offers tools, reflections, and community to support your journey.
4:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
12 Months, 12 Games, 12 Lessons with Devinne Moses
@ Centennial
“12 Months, 12 Games, 12 Lessons” is a postmortem of Vine Moss Games’ monthly development process in 2025, accompanied by actionable lesson statements for indie game developers and students to take forward in their own game-making process.
5:45 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Closing Remarks
@ GGX Stage
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